MURFREESBORO — A new policy that would create uniform rules and rates for the renting of school property and cap the stay of churches and other organizations at a certain school for 10 years is set to be considered by the Rutherford County Board of Education on Thursday.

The proposed policy approved by the school board's Policy Committee was created after months of efforts by schools officials to establish a uniform policy and rental rate schedule for the use of school facilities. The school board must approve the policy twice for it to take effect.

"The one goal here was to put everything as equal and the same all over the county as possible," said school board member Jeff Jordan during the board's work session Tuesday. "Another major goal, as awkward as it may sound, was not to make any money. All we wanted to do was recoup the taxpayers' money."

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Jeff Jordan(Photo: Jim Davis/DNJ, DNJ photo by Erin O'Leary)

The policy would require schools to charge a uniform rate to out-of-school organizations along with the actual cost of custodial services required to clean up the space after an event. The rates range from $15 per classroom per day to $285 per day for an auditorium or $290 per day for a gymnasium.

Under the proposal, 60 percent of the funds raised from the facilities rent would go back to the school that rents out the space.

"Some of the administrators indicated they were glad they had a standard to look to that would be an objective standard, something they could look to and give groups definitive answers," school board attorney Jeff Reed to the school board on Tuesday.

Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts meetings and school-based athletics events are exempt from paying rent through state law, Reed said.

When the proposal was introduced to the policy committee in February, a handful of pastors and members of local churches addressed the panel with concerns about how long churches could stay at a certain school.

While the initial policy outlined a two-year maximum stay in an effort to meet new Internal Revenue Service guidelines, the maximum was amended to 10 years to try to provide churches enough time to develop roots in the community and try to establish permanent homes.

"I think the 10 years will probably work," Jordan said.

Wayne Blair, chair of the school board, said during the work session that the policy in front of the board was created to solve a difficult and complex problem that required an answer.

"I thought this committee did its due diligence as well as any committee I've ever witnessed," Blair said. "The result, I think, is fair."

The county school board is set to meet at 5 p.m. Thursday at its offices at 2240 Southpark Drive in Murfreesboro.

Reach Brian Wilson at 615-278-5165. Follow him on Twitter @brianwilson17.